On a sunny day in Cardiff, Glamorgan won the toss and elected to bat first in their 2024 Vitality Blast match against Sussex Sharks. The innings began with a brisk Powerplay, scoring 56 runs for the loss of two wickets, with Chris Cooke and Sam Northeast leading the charge.
After a few early wickets, Glamorgan saw significant contributions from their middle-order batters. A crucial 68-run partnership between Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram set the stage for a late-innings push. However, Tymal Mills struck twice in two balls, removing Ingram with an inside edge and bowling Marnus Labuschagne with a pacey delivery. Mills completed his four-wicket haul by having Dan Douthwaite caught by Oli Carter. Northeast remained not out, hitting the last ball for six to set a target of 184, with Glamorgan finishing on 183 for seven.
In reply, Sussex started brightly, capitalising on an expensive over from Tom Bevan. Despite this, Glamorgan bowlers managed to slow Sussex’s progress by taking two wickets during the Powerplay. James Coles, who top-scored with a career-best 69 not out, found little support from the rest of the batting line-up. A steady 42-run partnership between Coles and Carter briefly kept Sussex in the hunt until Carter was caught by Eddie Byrom off Ingram’s bowling.
Regular wickets continued to hamper Sussex's chase, with a rapid collapse reducing them from 73 for two to 85 for five. Mason Crane was the standout bowler for the hosts, delivering an economical spell of two for 22 from his four overs, including a fantastic boundary catch by Labuschagne to dismiss John Simpson. As the required run rate escalated, Sussex needed 65 runs from the final three overs, a task that proved too challenging. Sussex ended their innings at 158 for six, giving us a 25-run victory and the Welsh county first win of the season.
Glamorgan are now on the road for their next two games, playing Middlesex on the 5th at Lord's and Essex on the 7th at the County Ground.